Two wheeled thingies
My bicycle's front brake has been dragging for a while. And the gears are wonky. And the chain is old and stretched. Etc. So I brought it in last weekend to have all these things looked at. I am supposed to pick it up today. Rode Valerie's recumbent tricycle a couple times during its absence, but it too has a variety of similar issues. Took 45 minutes to get the seat adjusted, too, and then it still wasn't really quite right for me.
I rode my motorcycle to work on Tuesday. When I arrived, I noticed it was kind of stinky in the burnt-oil way. Thought, "bummer, I'll have to have that looked at." On the way home on Tuesday things got really bad. There were clouds of smelly smoke billowing around me every time I stopped (which was often, as traffic sucked.) So I was totally stinking up the universe for people behind me. When I arrived home, it was pretty much spraying oil out, dripping all over the floor of the garage. "Precious bodily fluids!" I quick ran and got some newspaper to put under it. As it cooled the drip subsided. I don't think the entire 2 quarts leaked out; that would be an enormous puddle, though I did change the paper a couple times.
So Ken and I loaded it on the trailer this morning, and it is now at the shop. Hopefully it'll be something small and easy. It's only got 5,000 miles on it. I changed the oil shortly after I got it, about 1500 miles ago. It's been behaving itself just fine for those 1500 miles. They charge $82 for the first hour, and they made me pay in advance. I've never had a shop make me pay in advance for diagnosis/repair before. Even with my bicycle, I asked if they wanted a deposit, and the answer was "no, if you don't come back, I have the bike." Maybe it's harder to get the money out of a titled vehicle.
It is really nerve-wracking to drive with the trailer with the bike on it. I never feel like I have it sufficiently well tied down and it gives a little flop back there whenever I hit a pothole. This time was a little better than last time. Neither time did it actually fall over, but it was still alarming in the rear view mirror. (Maybe I shouldn't look :-)
I rode my motorcycle to work on Tuesday. When I arrived, I noticed it was kind of stinky in the burnt-oil way. Thought, "bummer, I'll have to have that looked at." On the way home on Tuesday things got really bad. There were clouds of smelly smoke billowing around me every time I stopped (which was often, as traffic sucked.) So I was totally stinking up the universe for people behind me. When I arrived home, it was pretty much spraying oil out, dripping all over the floor of the garage. "Precious bodily fluids!" I quick ran and got some newspaper to put under it. As it cooled the drip subsided. I don't think the entire 2 quarts leaked out; that would be an enormous puddle, though I did change the paper a couple times.
So Ken and I loaded it on the trailer this morning, and it is now at the shop. Hopefully it'll be something small and easy. It's only got 5,000 miles on it. I changed the oil shortly after I got it, about 1500 miles ago. It's been behaving itself just fine for those 1500 miles. They charge $82 for the first hour, and they made me pay in advance. I've never had a shop make me pay in advance for diagnosis/repair before. Even with my bicycle, I asked if they wanted a deposit, and the answer was "no, if you don't come back, I have the bike." Maybe it's harder to get the money out of a titled vehicle.
It is really nerve-wracking to drive with the trailer with the bike on it. I never feel like I have it sufficiently well tied down and it gives a little flop back there whenever I hit a pothole. This time was a little better than last time. Neither time did it actually fall over, but it was still alarming in the rear view mirror. (Maybe I shouldn't look :-)